NZ religious sect leader jailed over death of Chinese follower

The court heard that Wang had struggled to comply with the strict rules, possibly due to her old age, and was frequently disciplined.In March 2024, Wang tried to escape but was caught and restrained. She died later that day, the court heard. The court heard that Liu, his family, and his followers dumped Wang's body near a marina at Gulf Harbour. Liu had taken his children along for the trip "as camouflage".The body was found by a fisherman days later. Police eventually traced the rice bags used to wrap Wang's body to Liu, who had made unusually large purchases of that brand of rice.Besides Liu, his wife, Lanyue Xiao, was sentenced to nearly eight years in jail for kidnapping and manslaughter, amongst other charges. His mother, Xiuyun Li and father, Liu" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="192726" data-entity-type="person">Jingui Liu, had earlier been convicted of kidnapping and misconduct to human remains and are due to be sentenced later this year. On Tuesday's sentencing, Liu's lawyer asked for leniency arguing that his client feels remorse and "is not a cult leader, nor requires people to follow his cult", according to Radio New Zealand.Getty ImagesShulai Wang's body was found near the marina at Gulf Harbour in AucklandNew Zealand media outlets reported that Liu had attended a military-based university in China.